Best and Less Online

Virtual Worlds for Children, Tweens and Teens

Virtual worlds have become a growing power in kids’ Online activities. In 2008, an estimated eight million US children and teens visited virtual worlds on a regular basis. It is estimated that by 2013 this number will be doubled. Virtual worlds are a relatively new phenomenon, so there isn’t much research on their impact on kids. As parents, we ask: Is it safe? Is it educational? Do our children benefit from this activity? In lack of long-term research the Best answer seems to be that like every other activity we choose to do, when it is measured and in balance with other activities, it can be enjoyable, harmless and sometimes even educational. It is our responsibility as parents to direct our children to safe constructive activities that will help them to grow as people and become contributing citizens. The same thing is true for choosing online activities for them and specifically for virtual worlds. As parents we have to make sure that our children visit virtual worlds that are suited for their age and are safe for them. We also want to direct our children to virtual worlds that offer quality content and educational value.

What is a virtual world?

Virtual worlds are services which offer Internet users a computer simulated environment imitating the real world. In the virtual world the user interacts by using an avatar (a two-dimensional or a three-dimensional computer graphic identity, which represent a user’s alter ego or the user’s real persona) in online chats.

Virtual worlds are divided into two main types:

Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) –
These virtual worlds use point systems and competition in the simulation. They have winners and losers. Commercial MMOGs include Everquest and World of Warcraft.

Non-game worlds -
These virtual worlds are less game-like, or not games at all. They are more like social networking services like MySpace and Facebook, but with 3D simulation features. For example, Second Life, ActiveWorlds and The Sims Online.

What are the risks for kids in virtual worlds?

• Children and teenagers can easily get absorbed in a virtual world. It is an enjoyable pastime allowing them to try different points of view and avatars. The danger is when a child is invested more in the virtual life than in real life. This may result in withdrawal from real life activities, poor social skills, loss of ability to distinguish between the real and the imaginary, etc. It is important to limit the time a child or teenager spends surfing virtual worlds in order to keep the child’s base in the real world.

• Private information may be exposed in virtual worlds when a child is persuaded to give up his/her real identity to strangers. It is important to emphasize to the child not to give away private information under any circumstances.

• Sometimes virtual worlds especially ones that are intended for teens can become violent environments. Many virtual worlds have guardians – adults that have avatars in the game and are there to keep the peace. These guardians can not always stop violent behavior. It is important for parents of teens to be involved in their children’s online activities and to instruct them how to behave in problematic situations.

• Online predators sometimes use social network services and virtual worlds to target potential victims. They pose as children and gradually seduce them into an online relationship. This relationship might end in sexual abuse. The chance of your child being targeted by online predator is low, but since such an encounter has severe consequences, parents should be aware and make sure that their kids don’t get involved in online relationships with strangers.

• All of these risks are worrying, but it seems that the greatest risk in virtual worlds for kids is the inherently commercial nature of many virtual worlds. Kids are encouraged to buy clothes, toys, food, books and more for their avatars using the virtual world currency. In some worlds they have to Play Games in order to earn “money”, in some they buy the virtual world currency with real money. You can see in many virtual worlds, avatars that are dressed in high fashion clothing and have expensive cars and homes. Many virtual worlds have a strong correlation between consumption and citizenship. Kids are learning that in order to be a good citizen they have to buy the right stuff. Many virtual worlds also have a lot of advertisement.In order to avoid this commercial nature, parents should direct their children to non-commercial virtual worlds that usually have more educational value.

What are the Benefits of Virtual Worlds for Children?

In virtual worlds kids are involved in informal learning. By trying different avatars, points of view and jobs they play out scenarios over and over from different angles. They can see what approach is best for them. They learn how to socialize, how to be Internet savvy, how to buy and sell online and how to be members of a society. They learn skills that they’ll need in the future workforce.

Matching the Virtual World to the Child’s Age

When choosing a virtual world for your kids or checking the ones your kids use, it is important to keep the age factor in mind.

Today children surf in virtual worlds from the age of three (usually with adult help) to 18. It is important to see that the virtual world they enter is safe for their age and offers appropriate content.

There are three major age groups:

1. Young children – age 3-10. Kids in this age group are just starting to discover the cyber world. They often need help from an adult in order to surf. It is not recommended to let children at this age surf without adult supervision. It is important to make sure that the virtual worlds the child surfs are safe, enclosed environments. There should be no advertisement (or very little). Online chats and forums, if such exist, should be limited and monitored.
2. Tweens or juniors – age 10-14. Tweens are kids who are stuck in this phase between being young kids and being teens. Children at this age range usually have good technological and language abilities that allow them to surf freely. On the other hand, they lack the maturity and experience to help them understand the content that they encounter when surfing—they need adult guidance. They are a vulnerable population. Their high technological abilities and desire to socialize exposes them to risks, as well as their PC and private family information. Tweens will usually look for more complex virtual worlds that will allow them to chat with their friends freely. It is important for parents of tweens to be involved as much as they can in their kids’ online activities. Parents should direct their tweens to virtual worlds they find suited for them. Guidelines for Internet use should be defined. These guidelines should emphasize Web ethics and privacy protection. Include the child when defining the guidelines in order to make the child more committed to them. An Internet-use policy may help in making those guidelines clear. Parents should talk to their kids about Internet threats, such as: malware attacks, online predators, harassments, and give them examples of immediate solutions, for example: turning off the PC and notifying a parent. Most important is to give your children confidence about approaching the adults in the family in case they encounter suspicious behavior when surfing.
3. Teenagers – age 14-18. Teens have fully developed technological and language skills. They are confident surfing the Internet (sometimes more than their parents). The Internet becomes a strong social and educational tool in their life. Teens are usually more aware of the risks that exist on the web. On the other hand, in this age group there is a tendency for risk taking. In addition, teens usually use a PC in the privacy of their own room, or they go to places that allow them to surf without supervision. So it is nearly impossible to monitor the teenager’s Internet activities. Teens will usually be attracted to adult virtual worlds. Adult virtual worlds are not always suited for teenagers. In some you can encounter cybersex activity and violence. It is important for parents of teens to keep being involved in their kids’ online activities. Offering teens appropriate websites that may interest them could be a great solution. There are virtual worlds for teens that offer great content and are non-commercial. Parents should also emphasize Web ethics to their teenagers and warn them about Internet threats.

In order to find a suitable virtual world for your kids you can check out – SafeWeb – Virtual Worlds section. This is a web directory that offers safe websites for kids.

For more information on how to protect your family on the Web you can see –In3Go.com – Resource for Internet Security Information

About the Author

For more safe websites for children, tweens and teens you can see – SafeWeb Directory. For more information on how to protect your kids on the Web see – In3Go.com – Internet Security Info.

Second Life – The Online 3D Virtual World

George Foreman GR20WHT XL Grill $22.00 With top and bottom grills measuring 8 by 18, this family-size version of the celebrated George Foreman Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine grills four burgers or chicken breasts, two big steaks, lots of taco or burrito fillings, or vegetables and seafood. The appliance’s appeal lies in its simplicity and countertop convenience–not to mention its fat-fighting ability. By grilling from t…

Citrus Juice Squeezer $2.29 Save money and enjoy a fresh, healthy, natural drink any time you please! Just place any citrus fruit into the basket and squeeze; this hand-held wonder lets you enjoy every delicious drop. Plastic. Hand wash only. 3 inches x 8 1/2 inches x 2 inches high….

Disney DVD Game World – Disney Princess Edition $6.80 Disney introduces a whole new kind of game with this interactive DVD game where children use their remote to play a virtual board game complete with spinner, game board, video clips, trivia questions, and interactive games. As newly crowned Princesses, players ages 5 to 8 are invited to enter an enchanted castle that features rooms inspired by Disney Princesses Ariel, Cinderella, Snow White, Mula…

Sounds of Nature Sampler: 3-Dimensional Pure Nature Sounds $8.26 The sounds for this series were recorded in 3D by Chuck Plaisance. His recording system is designed to simulate human hearing, using a binaural head microphone to capture depth, height, width, as well as directional movement. No special equipment is needed to get 3D sound from traditional stereo speakers. In fact, these albums will make your system – speakers or headphones – sound like it never…

Tribalistas $7.99 With this dreamy collection of soothing lullabies and playful ballads, the supergroup formed by singer/producer Marisa Monte, percussionist Carlinhos Brown, and former Titas member Arnaldo Antunes has proved once and for all that Brazilian music has moved forward beyond the shadows of the seminal tropicalia movement. Favoring a subtle, understated compositional environment, the members of the tri…

The Best of Real Sex – HBO Presents As with sex itself, the better parts of HBO’s long-running magazine show Real Sex are a matter of personal preference. However, the cable channel’s official greatest-hits package, The Best of Real Sex, is an accurate overview of the series’ polymorphic interests: loving intimacy, outright orgies, voyeurism, transvestites, computer sex, self-pleasure. The more sensational stuff, such as a story o…

The Santa Clause (Widescreen Special Edition) $8.85 Divorced toy company executive Scott Calvin (Tim Allen of Home Improvement and the Toy Story movies) is pleased to have his son Charlie for Christmas, though the boy himself isn’t happy about it. But when Santa Claus accidentally topples off the roof of the house and falls with a thud in the snow, Scott finds himself taking the merry old elf’s place and earning new respect in his son’s eyes. …

The Matrix $1.49 By following up their debut thriller Bound with the 1999 box-office smash The Matrix, the codirecting Wachowski brothers–Andy and Larry–annihilated any suggestion of a sophomore jinx, crafting one of the most exhilarating sci-fi/action movies of the 1990s. Set in the not too distant future in an insipid, characterless city, we find a young man named Neo (Keanu Reeves). A software techie by day a…

Phineas & Ferb: Very Perry Christmas $9.10 In this holiday adventure, Phineas and Ferb team up with their pet platypus to stop the diabolical Dr. Doofenshmirtz from destroying Christmas. But can the bumbling trio possibly put an end to the baddie’s plans in time for Santa Claus to deliver his presents to boys and girls across the globe? 80 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital Surround, French Dolby Digital Surroun…

Saitek Pro Flight Yoke with Three-Lever Throttle (PZ44) $117.91 Premium Flight Yoke & Throttle Quadrant For Most Realistic Flight Simulation Experience; Precision Elevator & Aileron Control Through Yoke; 14 Button Controls, Including 6 On Quadrant; 3-Position Mode Switch; Durable, Stainless Steel Yoke Shaft; Ultra-Stable 2-Position Desk Clamp; Built-In Chronometer For In-Flight Timing; Integrated 3-Port Usb Hub; 3-Axis Lever Throttle Quadrant Can Be Mounted In…

Alter Ego $29.95 This cool concept book presents the phenomenon of the contemporary avatar–the virtual characters gamers choose and design to engage in 3D worlds online. Portraits of gamers from the United States, Europe, China, and Japan are paired with digital images of their alter egos, graphically dramatizing the gap between fantasy and reality.

Being Virtual $26.95 In Being Virtual, Davey Winder looks at how an increasing number of us are living part-real, part-virtual lives, and how it affects who we are. He looks at the opportunities and dangers that a virtual identity offers us, how we juggle our real and online lives, and what happens when one spills over into the other… In this book he uses his own personal experiences to bring the issues to life, and backs them up with the real-life stories of others and opinion from the experts. Along the way, he looks at some fascinating questions such as: Are you a virtual liar?What happens when our virtual and real worlds colide?What real world rights do you have as a virtual citizen?Is it really possible to fall in love with someone you have never met?Is it possible to have any secrets in such a connected world?Discover. Question. Provoke.

Brand Avatar $16.76 Virtual worlds such as Second Life, have millions of users worldwide. Virtual world residents wield huge purchasing power, and use real money in the online economies. Companies as diverse as Adidas, Jean-Paul Gaultier, and MTV have plunged into these unchartered waters to give their brands a virtual presence, using varied strategies.

Computer Ethics $45 Written works, music, videos, and other content on the Internet are easily accessible to the general public, but is it considered ethically permissible to access, copy, and redistribute them? Is it right to look at someone else”s documents on a home or school computer just because they are not protected by password? Are there ethical problems with using a false identity in an Internet chat room, or behaving in a way that one would not consider acting in the real world? What about using a photograph from the Internet in a research paper without giving credit to the photographer, even if using that photo constitutes fair use and does not violate the law? Computer Ethics explores these questions and more, enabling students to differentiate between what is legally permissible and what is ethical in the context of computers and the Internet. Chapters include: -Privacy: Does It Exist Online? -Copying: Does Ease of Copying Make It Right? -Virtual Worlds: Living Inside Your Computer.

E-learning Theory And Practice $46 In E-learning Theory and Practice the authors set out different perspectives on e-learning. The book deals with the social implications of e-learning, its transformative effects, and the social and technical interplay that supports and directs e-learning.The authors present new perspectives on the subject by exploring the way teaching and learning are changing with the presence of the Internet and participatory media; providing a theoretical grounding in new learning practices from education, communication and information science; addressing e-learning in terms of existing learning theories, emerging online learning theories, new literacies, social networks, social worlds, community and virtual communities, and online resources; and emphasizing the impact of everyday electronic practices on learning, literacy and the classroom, locally and globally.This book is for everyone involved in e-learning including teachers, educators, graduate students and researchers.

Exodus to the Virtual World $16 Virtual worlds have exploded out of online game culture and now capture the attention of millions of ordinary people: husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, workers, retirees. Devoting dozens of hours each week to massively multiplayer virtual reality environments (like World of Warcraft and Second Life ), these millions are the start of an exodus into the refuge of fantasy, where they experience life under a new social, political, and economic order built around fun. Given the choice between a fantasy world and the real world, how many of us would choose reality? Exodus to the Virtual World explains the growing migration into virtual reality, and how it will change the way we live–both in fantasy worlds and in the real one.

Exodus to the Virtual World $24.95 Virtual worlds have exploded out of online game culture and now capture the attention of millions of ordinary people: husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, workers, retirees. Devoting dozens of hours each week to massively multiplayer virtual reality environments (like World of Warcraft and Second Life ), these millions are the start of an exodus into the refuge of fantasy, where they experience life under a new social, political, and economic order built around fun. Given the choice between a fantasy world and the real world, how many of us would choose reality? Exodus to the Virtual World explains the growing migration into virtual reality, and how it will change the way we live–both in fantasy worlds and in the real one.

Learning Online With Games, Simulations, and Virtual Worlds $28 Learning Online With Games, Simulations, and Virtual Worlds

Media Literacy: Video Games $26 Analyzes electronic gaming and entertainment realms! Media pervade our lives. The Media Literacy series takes a clear-eyed look at music, movies, the Internet, TV, advertising, and print, examining how they developed and how they influence us today. The program is ideal for media courses, or as an adjunct to social studies or ELA curricula. Each book contains dozens of activities, quizzes, a glossary, and special Teacher Buzz sections to prepare for classroom discussions. Students explore value messages, the range of social interaction, and more. In Media Literacy: Thinking Critically About Video Games and Virtual Worlds, students learn to look critically at video games and virtual online worlds. How do these seductive (yet often violent) interactions influence us? What messages are their developers or sponsors trying to send? How does their version of reality conflict or coincide with the real world? Media Literacy: Thinking Critically About Video Game

Netnography $130 This exciting new text is the first to explore the discipline of ”Netnography” – the conduct of ethnography over the internet – a method specifically designed to study cultures and communities online. For the first time, full procedural guidelines for the accurate and ethical conduct of ethnographic research online are set out, with detailed, step-by-step guidance to thoroughly introduce, explain, and illustrate the method to students and researchers. The author also surveys the latest research on online cultures and communities, focusing on the methods used to study them, with examples focusing on the new elements and contingencies of the blogosphere (blogging), microblogging, videocasting, podcasting, social networking sites, virtual worlds, and more.

Online Worlds $79.95 Virtual worlds are on the rise, and they involve more than just playing games. This book examines the phenomena of virtual worlds, using a range of theories and methodologies to discover the principles that make them so popular.

Second Lives: A Journey Through Virtual Worlds $127.45 Second Lives investigates one of the most bizarre phenomena of the twenty-first century: virtual lives. In online virtual worlds, millions of people are creating new selves, complete with jobs, houses, marriage, and real money.

Simchurch $16.99 The virtual church is here, and it”s poised for explosive growth as a generation comfortable with virtual worlds cultivates faith communities online. What is the virtual church, and what possibilities and concerns does it create? This must-read book opens a dialog no culturally aware Christian passionate about the church and evangelism can afford to miss.

Synthetic Worlds $18 From EverQuest to World of Warcraft, online games have evolved from the exclusive domain of computer geeks into an extraordinarily lucrative staple of the entertainment industry. People of all ages and from all walks of life now spend thousands of hours and dollars partaking in this popular new brand of escapism. But the line between fantasy and reality is starting to blur. Players have created virtual societies with governments and economies of their own whose currencies now trade against the dollar on eBay at rates higher than the yen. And the players who inhabit these synthetic worlds are starting to spend more time online than at their day jobs. In Synthetic Worlds, Edward Castronova offers the first comprehensive look at the online game industry, exploring its implications for business and culture alike. He starts with the players, giving us a revealing look into the everyday lives of the gamers outlining what they do in their synthetic worlds and why. He then describes the economies inside these worlds to show how they might dramatically affect real world financial systems, from potential disruptions of markets to new business horizons. Ultimately, he explores the long-term social consequences of online games: If players can inhabit worlds that are more alluring and gratifying than reality, then how can the real world ever compete? Will a day ever come when we spend more time in these synthetic worlds than in our own? Or even more startling, will a day ever come when such questions no longer sound alarmist but instead seem obsolete? With more than ten million active players worldwide and with Microsoft and Sony pouring hundreds ofmillions of dollars into video game development online games have become too big to ignore. Synthetic Worlds spearheads our efforts to come to terms with this virtual reality and its concrete effects. Illuminating. . . . Castronova s analysis of the economics of fun

The State of Play $27.17 View the Table of Contents. Read the Introduction.This is a spectacular collection of essays on the present and future of virtual worlds. It’s a perfect introduction for those who have yet to experience them, and more important, a thoughtful companion for those who do. –Jonathan Zittrain, Oxford UniversityThe State of Play is an extremely comprehensive look into digital worlds and how those worlds are evolving cultures, changing lives, reshaping the way we think and communicate. If you want to understand where modern culture is headed and learn more about incredibly fascinating experiences taking place in virtual worlds, pick up and read this book now. –Richard Garriott, a.k.a. Lord British, Creator of Ultima Online and Executive Producer, NCsoftThese essays, by the best thinkers in their fields, will be read, debated, taught, and cited in court cases as we struggle to figure out how to live in a world which is part digital and part social, part real and part imaginary. –Henry Jenkins, author of Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media CollideThe State of Play presents an essential first step in understanding how new digital worlds will change the future of our universe. Millions of people around the world inhabit virtual words: multiplayer online games where characters live, love, buy, trade, cheat, steal, and have every possible kind of adventure. Far more complicated and sophisticated than early video games, people now spend countless hours in virtual universes like Second Life and Star Wars Galaxies not to shoot space invaders but to create new identities, fall in love, build cities, make rules, and break them.As digital worlds become increasingly powerful and lifelike, people will employ them for countless real-world purposes, including commerce, education, medicine, law enforcement, and military training. Inevitably, real-world law will regulate them. But should virtual worlds be fully integrated into our real-world legal system or should they be treate